John Shirley Fox, R.B.A. (British, 1860–1939) | The Knohl Collection John Shirley Fox, R.B.A. (British, 1860–1939) After "And When Did You Last See Your Father" by William Frederick Yeames You are here: Home / The Collection / Paintings / John Shirley Fox, R.B.A. (British, 1860–1939) Next » Henri-Paul Motte (French, 1846-1922) John Shirley Fox, R.B.A. (British, 1860–1939), watercolor, signed lower right, 27.5″ x 37″ [after the original oil by William Frederick Yeames (1878)] John Shirley Fox, R.B.A. studied in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux Arts under the famous French academic artist, Jean-Léon Gérôme. Fox started exhibiting at the Paris Salon at the early age of 16.

Starting in 1890, he exhibited at the Royal Academy, and was elected a full Member of the Royal Society of British Artists in 1892. He exhibited 15 paintings at the Royal Academy, 49 at the RBA, 2 at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, 1 at the Royal Oil Painters Institute, 4 at the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolor and variously in the provinces. He lived in London in 1890, but later moved to Marlborough, keeping an apartment in London. He was married to Ada R. Holland, a portrait and figure painter who is also a listed artist and frequent exhibitor. Fox enjoyed fly fishing, and wrote two books, one about fishing and one about his experiences as an art student in Paris. His biographical details may be found in The Dictionary of British Artists (Collector’s Club) and The Dictionary of British Artists by Grant Waters. And When Did You Last See Your Father? is a watercolor painted after the original oil by William Frederick Yeames (1855-1918).

The painting depicts a scene in an imaginary Royalist household during the English Civil War (1642 – 1646). The Parliamentarians have taken over the house and are questioning the boy about his Royalist father’s whereabouts. Behind him, a Roundhead soldier holds the boy’s crying sister, who waits her turn to be questioned. At the back of the hall the mother and elder daughter wait anxiously on the boy’s reply. You can see the mother’s fear and anxiety as she waits for the boy’s answer. The boy is obviously quite distraught; if the boy tells the truth he will endanger his father, but if he lies he will go against the ideal of honesty undoubtedly instilled in him by his parents. During the English Civil War, Roundheads (Parliamentarians) and Cavaliers (Royalist) fought against each other in order to gain control of the country. The Roundheads were unhappy with the way King Charles I ruled the country. The Cavaliers were loyal to the King. Oliver Cromwell, a leading Roundhead, had the King executed and then became leader of the country.

The original oil painting, one of the most popular works hanging in the Walker Art Gallery, has been widely reproduced and is often found in history textbooks. It is also the subject of a popular 1890s song and has been replicated as a waxwork tableau at Madame Tussaud’s in London. For more information about the painting see: William Frederick Yeames : Wikis (The Full Wiki) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia William Frederick Yeames Amy Robsart (1877) And When Did You Last See Your Father? (1878) William Frederick Yeames (18 December 1835 – 3 May 1918) was a British painter best known for his oil-on-canvas painting And When Did You Last See Your Father?, which depicts the son of a Royalist being questioned by Parliamentarians during the English Civil War . Biography Amy Robsart (1877) Yeames favoured Tudor and Stuart subjects and was fascinated by the events surrounding the death of Amy Robsart . Yeames was born in Taganrog , Russia , the son of a British consul based in Russia.

After the death of his father in 1842, Yeames was sent to school in Dresden where he began studying painting. After a change in the fortunes of his family, they moved to London in 1848. Yeames learnt anatomy and composition from George Scharf and took art lessons from F. A. Westmacott. In 1852 he journeyed to Florence where he studied with Enrico Pollastrini and Raphael Buonajuti. During his time there he painted at the Life School at the Grand Ducal Academy, drawing from frescoes by Andrea del Sarto , Ghirlandaio and Gozzoli . Continuing on to Rome , he painted landscape studies and copied Old Masters , including the frescoes of Raphael in the Vatican . Returning to London in 1859, he set up a studio in Park Place and, with Philip Hermogenes Calderon , Frederick Goodall and George Adolphus Storey , formed the loose association of artists known as the St John's Wood Clique . The group concentrated on subjects of a historical nature and narrative paintings in which the story was revealed by close study of the actions and expressions of the subjects.

In Yeames's work this technique evolved into the genre known as the Problem Picture , in which the narrative of the image creates an unresolved dilemma or paradox for the viewer. While their work was popular with the public, the St John's Wood Clique found it difficult to get their work displayed at prestigious galleries and the Royal Academy because it never received critical acclaim. Yeames managed to overcome this problem and from 1859 exhibited at the Royal Academy and was made an Associate (ARA) in 1866. Unlike other artist circles of the time, the St John's Wood Clique did not lead a bohemian lifestyle; Yeames took holidays at Hever Castle and lived comfortably in London. He and Goodall specialised in Tudor and Stuart subjects, but did not always portray the events they depicted with historical accuracy instead using them as inspiration. He died in Teignmouth , Devon on 3 May 1918. In 2000, a blue plaque commemorating Yeames was installed on his former home in Hanwell , London. And When Did You Last See Your Father? And When Did You Last See Your Father?

(1878) The oil-on-canvas picture, painted in 1878, depicts a scene in an imaginary Royalist household during the English Civil War . The Parliamentarians have taken over the house and question the son about his Royalist father. Yeames was inspired to paint the picture to show the crises that could arise from the natural frankness of young children. Here, if the boy tells the truth he will endanger his father, but if he lies he will go against the ideal of honesty undoubtedly instilled in him by his parents. The boy in the pictures is based on Yeames' nephew, James Lambe Yeames. Behind the boy, a sobbing little girl, probably the daughter, waits her turn to be questioned. The girl was based on Yeames' niece, Mary Yeames. At the back of the hall the mother and elder daughter wait anxiously on the boy's reply. The scene is neutral: while the innocence of the boy is emphasized by his blond hair, open expression and blue suit, the questioners are also treated sympathically; the main interrogator has a friendly expression and the sergeant with the little girl has his arm on her shoulder as if comforting her.

The painting is now held at the Walker Art Gallery , Liverpool . Madame Tussauds in London has a life-size waxwork tableau of the scene, faithfully reproduced from the painting. References Paintings | The Knohl Collection - Part 7 Fredrick Arthur Bridgman (American, 1847-1928) Fredrick Arthur Bridgman (American, 1847-1928), Arab Street Scene, oil on canvas, c. 1880, 19″ x 23″ Bridgman was America’s preeminent Orientalist painter. He was born in Alabama, then moved north to Boston, and at one point was enrolled in art school in Brooklyn, New York. In 1866, he moved to Paris, France, and a year later entered the studio of the noted French Orientalist painter, Jean Léon Gérôme. Bridgman’s painting style was greatly influenced by Gérôme and he is often referred to as “the American Gérôme.” Bridgman, like so many 19th century artists, decided to venture outside of their familiar environment and explore more exotic lands.

He traveled through Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt, and became fascinated by the life and light in these foreign lands. An Arab Street Scene is an excellent example of Bridgman’s ability to capture the essence of daily life in the East. John Charlton (British, 1849 – 1917) John Charlton (British, 1849 – 1917), Hunting in Olden Times, oil on canvas, signed with initials, signature on frame, oil on canvas, 40″ x 30″ John Charlton was a very successful British artist known for his powerful military scenes, detailed and accurate animal and figure paintings, and vivid landscapes. He debuted at the Royal Academy in 1870 and exhibited there until 1904, contributing 53 works. He was born in a county in North East England and received his first drawing lessons from his father. Due to his family’s financial misfortunes, Charlton was enrolled in Dr. Sharp’s charity school, but a short time later was forced to quit and find employment. His first job was at a bookstore, which gave the promising artist a chance to copy the master’s work.

Years later, while working as a draughtsman, his employers noticed his extraordinary talent and regularly granted him time to practice his art. At the suggestion of Mr. Joseph Crawhill, a notable British illustrator, Charlton began to attend evening classes at the Newcastle School of Arts under William Bell Scott. It was during this time that Charlton developed a reputation as a skilled painter of horses and dogs, and began receiving commissions to portray family pets. In 1874, realizing that his best chance for advancement lay in the London art world, he ventured south and took classes at the South Kensington Museum, now the Victoria and Albert Museum. To earn a living Charlton became an illustrator for The Graphic, and his sketches of the Egyptian Campaign of 1882 were often reproduced in the popular weekly illustrated British newspaper. Experiencing the wealth of military illustration, he decided to try his hand at creating a large war-themed painting, and in 1883 exhibited British artillery entering the enemy’s lines at Tel-el-Kebir, 13 September 1882.

The critics praised the canvas calling it a “vigorous and vividly realistic rendering.” Spurred on by the success, he chose another military scene for his 1887 academy piece. Based on a sketch by a Royal Navy surgeon, Charlton painted Bad news from the front, a scene from the Suakim campaign of 1885. For his 1893 piece, Placing the Guns, he returned to the Sudan campaign. His next military subject was from the Zulu War, After the charge: 17th Lancers, Ulundi, 4 July 1879, which was shown at Burlington House in 1888. Charlton exhibited several paintings from the Crimean War, including An Incident in the charge of the Light Brigade, shown at the academy in 1889. In 1897 he exhibited another powerful piece called Comrades, showing a trooper of the 17th Lancers lying dead on the field while his horse, hit by a bullet, rears in agony.

The artist’s success continued, and in 1905 his picture Balaclava: The Charge of the Light Brigade was reproduced in the Christmas Supplement to The Graphic. Charlton also painted scenes from the Peninsular War and the English Civil War, and occasionally turned to foreign wars not involving Britain. In After the battle: Sedan, based on an incident in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, Charlton chose one of his favorite themes, that of riderless horses after a battle. His painting of Prussian General Seidlitz at the Battle of Rossbach in 1757 was shown at the Berlin Art Gallery in April 1914 and attracted the attention of a wealthy German who offered to buy the piece, but before the sale could be finalized, war broke out and the picture was ‘interned’ in Germany. In 1916, World War One brought the pain and suffering of war directly home to Charlton. On June 24, his eldest son, Lieutenant Hugh Vaughan Charlton, was killed on the Western Front and seven days later his youngest son, Captain John Macfarlane Charlton, was killed on his 21st birthday.

Devastated by his loss, the artist painted a poignant canvas, now lost, of his two sons with their grandmother; and in another painting he showed the two handsome and promising young men with their three dogs. Henri-Paul Motte (French, 1846-1922) Henri-Paul Motte (French, 1846-1922), oil on canvas, signed lower center: Henri Motte, 17.5″ x 27.75 “ Henri Motte was an award-winning student of Jean-Léon Gérôme who exhibited at the French Salons for most of career. He also exhibited Taking of the Tuileries, 10th August 1792 (1892) at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. Motte specialized in historical and mythological scenes, such as The Trojan Horse (1874), his first Salon entry; Hannibal Crossing the Rhone (1878); and Vercingetorix Surrendering to Caesar (1886) — all depictions of compelling moments of warfare.

Vercingetorix Surrendering to Caesar and Hannibal Crossing the Rhone both received medals at the Universal Exhibition in Paris. Another award-winning image, Cardinal Richelieu at the Siege of La Rochelle (1881), depicts Cardinal Richelieu, on behalf of King Louis XIII, commanding a siege on the city of La Rochelle, then occupied by the Huguenots. Motte received a third class medal in 1880, the Bronze Medal at the Paris Exposition in 1889, and the Silver Medal at the Paris Exposition in 1900. He was also awarded the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honor) in 1892. The Order of Légion d’Honneur is the highest decoration in France and is divided into five degrees: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand Officier (Grand Officer) and Grand Croix (Grand Cross). Motte was commissioned to decorate the theatre at Monte Carlo and the Town Hall of Limoges.

More recently, his 1886 painting of Vercingetorix Surrendering to Caesar was used as the cover artwork for the modern-day board game, Caesar in Gaul. Sources: World’s Columbian Exposition, 1893, Official Catalogue, edited by Moses Purnell Handy Official Catalogue of Exhibitors: Universal Exposition, St. Louis, U.S.A., 1904 Henri-Paul Motte obituary – American Art News, Volume 20 John Shirley Fox, R.B.A. (British, 1860–1939) John Shirley Fox, R.B.A. (British, 1860–1939), watercolor, signed lower right, 27.5″ x 37″ [after the original oil by William Frederick Yeames (1878)] John Shirley Fox, R.B.A. studied in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux Arts under the famous French academic artist, Jean-Léon Gérôme. Fox started exhibiting at the Paris Salon at the early age of 16.

Starting in 1890, he exhibited at the Royal Academy, and was elected a full Member of the Royal Society of British Artists in 1892. He exhibited 15 paintings at the Royal Academy, 49 at the RBA, 2 at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, 1 at the Royal Oil Painters Institute, 4 at the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolor and variously in the provinces. He lived in London in 1890, but later moved to Marlborough, keeping an apartment in London. He was married to Ada R. Holland, a portrait and figure painter who is also a listed artist and frequent exhibitor. Fox enjoyed fly fishing, and wrote two books, one about fishing and one about his experiences as an art student in Paris. His biographical details may be found in The Dictionary of British Artists (Collector’s Club) and The Dictionary of British Artists by Grant Waters. And When Did You Last See Your Father? is a watercolor painted after the original oil by William Frederick Yeames (1855-1918).

The painting depicts a scene in an imaginary Royalist household during the English Civil War (1642 – 1646). The Parliamentarians have taken over the house and are questioning the boy about his Royalist father’s whereabouts. Behind him, a Roundhead soldier holds the boy’s crying sister, who waits her turn to be questioned. At the back of the hall the mother and elder daughter wait anxiously on the boy’s reply. You can see the mother’s fear and anxiety as she waits for the boy’s answer. The boy is obviously quite distraught; if the boy tells the truth he will endanger his father, but if he lies he will go against the ideal of honesty undoubtedly instilled in him by his parents. During the English Civil War, Roundheads (Parliamentarians) and Cavaliers (Royalist) fought against each other in order to gain control of the country. The Roundheads were unhappy with the way King Charles I ruled the country. The Cavaliers were loyal to the King. Oliver Cromwell, a leading Roundhead, had the King executed and then became leader of the country.

The original oil painting, one of the most popular works hanging in the Walker Art Gallery, has been widely reproduced and is often found in history textbooks. It is also the subject of a popular 1890s song and has been replicated as a waxwork tableau at Madame Tussaud’s in London. For more information about the painting see: Ricciardo Meacci (Italian, 1856-1940) Ricciardo Meacci (Italian, 1856-1940), La Presentazione, pencil and watercolor heightened with gold on board, signed, 5″ x 10″ Aliases: Riccardo Meacci Born in Dolciano, a province of Siena, Riccardo Meacci studied at the Instituto di Belle Arti di Siena under Luigi Mussini. He worked in Biringucci until 1881, when he moved to Florence. He painted with meticulous attention to detail, in the manner of his Italian master forefathers. Known for his rich, jewel-toned colors, Meacci typically painted religious and allegorical themes. He was renowned throughout Europe and was especially sought after by the English aristocracy, many of whom were his patrons.

He received commissions from Queen Victoria, the Earl of Lothian, the Duke of Connaught, Prince Franz of Lichtenstein and Leopold of Hohenzollern. Additionally, there paintings were commissioned by the Palazzo Pitti in Florence: The Arrival of the Convicts, The Offering of the Country, and The Three Wise Men. Many of Meacci’s works can still be seen today in Siena. One of them, St Peter Receiving the Keys, is a triptych in the Basilica of Saint Francis. He also executed a fresco depicting various Italian provinces, which is still visible in the Monumental Room of the town hall in Siena. John Frederick Herring, Jr. (British, c. 1820-1907) John Frederick Herring, Jr. (British, c. 1820-1907), Riders on a Country Lane, signed & dated, 1857, 13.75″ x 19.25″ John F. Herring, Jr. was born in South Yorkshire (c.1820) to the well-known 19th century artist John F.

Herring, Sr., one of England’s greatest sporting and equestrian artists. John Frederick Herring Jr. had two brothers, Benjamin and Charles, who were also skilled painters. His mother, a member of the Society of Lady Artists, was also a competent painter and exhibited genre scenes at the Royal Academy from 1852 to 1866. John Frederick Herring Jr. worked in both oil and watercolor, but his oils gained him the most recognition. Herring, Jr. married Kate Rolfe, an artist herself and the daughter of Alexander Rolfe, the English angling and sporting artist. Herring, Jr. would, at times, collaborate with his father-in-law, as well as other artists, painting the animals in their works. During his lifetime Herring Jr. exhibited at all the major exhibition halls including the Royal Academy, where he exhibited: The Farm – Autumn (1863), Farm-yard (1864), Watering the Team (1869), The Homestead (1871) and A Farm yard (1872) among others.

Exhibited: The Royal Academy 1863 – 1873; The British Institute 1864 – 1867; The Suffolk Street Gallery Christoph Schwarz (Munich c.1545 – 1592) Christoph Schwarz (Munich c.1545 – 1592), The Arrest of Two Saints, oil on copper, 15 3/8″ x 15 3/4″ Christoph Schwarz was the son of a Munich goldsmith, Conrad Schwarz ( fl 1540s), and was apprenticed to Hans II Bocksberger from 1560 to c. 1566. In 1568 he worked on festive decorations for the marriage of Prince William (later Duke) of Bavaria and Duchess Renata of Lorraine together with Hans Mielich (1516–73), the master in charge, and Hans Ostendorfer II (d c. 1570). He also assisted Mielich on paintings for the high altarpiece (1560–72; in situ) of the Liebfrauenkirche, Ingolstadt.

In 1569 he was awarded his master’s certificate and citizenship of Munich. Between 1570 and 1573 he was in Italy, mainly in Venice, though he did spend some time in Padua with Lambert Sustris. After his return in 1573 he was first appointed Town Painter in Munich and the following year court painter to Duke Albert IV, as Mielich’s successor. The façade paintings praised by Sandrart on the merchant’s house at Kauffingerstrasse 4 (Rape of the Sabine Women, drawing; Stuttgart, Staatsgalerie), on the Senger brewery in Burgstrasse and elsewhere, partially known through drawings made after them, were executed in this period. In the 1570s he also depicted subjects from Classical mythology (e.g. the Rape of Proserpine; Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum) and painted portraits. During Duke William V’s reign (from 1581) Schwarz became the Bavarian court’s favourite painter of religious pictures (e.g. Crucifixion; Munich, Alte Pinotek); these included altarpieces, small devotional pictures and collectors’ items, often painted on copper.

He decorated the interior of the Duchess’s private oratory at the Residenz in Munich, using canvas panels, as was the custom in Venice, to form ceiling pictures and employing foreshortened perspective (parts in situ, heavily overpainted). In 1581 he painted a winged altarpiece (on loan to Nuremberg, Ger. Nmus.) for the student congregation of the newly built Jesuit school. Although Schwarz’s personal relations with Friedrich Sustris were always tense, the artists’ styles gradually grew closer. In 1585 Schwarz was in Augsburg where he painted altarpieces for chapels in SS Ulrich und Afra (e.g. a Crucifixion; in situ) and for the former Jesuit church (Virgin Enthroned above the City of Augsburg; Munich, Alte Pinotek., on loan to Munich, St Anna im Lehel), working for members of the Fugger family. Emperor Rudolf II then endeavoured to obtain Schwarz’s services as a court painter.

Though William V refused to release him, he was allowed to work in Munich on pieces for the famous imperial Kunstkammer in Prague, and several pictures by him are mentioned in its early inventories. In the 1580s Schwarz enjoyed special status at court in Munich as a painter of devotional pictures, portraits and miniatures. He was commissioned to do the high altarpiece for the Jesuit Michaelskirche in Munich (Fall of the Angels, 1587–9; in situ) and was thus able by and large to remain aloof from collaborative ventures directed by Sustris, such as the interior decoration of the Grottenhof at the Residenz. Another indication of his standing is that when Hendrick Goltzius visited Munich in 1591 he drew a portrait of Schwarz (untraced). The portrait (Munich, Staatliche Graphische Sammlung) executed on his death by Engelhard de Pee (c. 1540/50–1605) has survived, inscribed with the exact date.

Engravings by Jan Sadeler I and Aegidius Sadeler II, Lucas Kilian and others, and above all the approval expressed by Sandrart, kept the reputation Schwarz had enjoyed in his lifetime alive well into the 18th century. He had considerable influence on the Bavarian artists who came after him—Hans Krumper, Georg Pecham, Christoph Zimmermann (c. 1575–1639) and others. He was one of the main practitioners of the Venetian manner in south German painting in his day and in that respect was a forerunner of the Baroque style of Johann Rottenhammer the elder. Collections Schwarz is represented in the following collections: Fitzwilliam Musuem, Cambridge; Munich, Alte Pinotek; Munich, Staatliche Graphische Sammlung; Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, amongst others.

Source: SPHINX FINE ART – sphinxfineart.com Edward Henry Corbould, RI, RA, (British, 1814-1904), Una and the Redcrosse Knight: In the Cavern of Despair, watercolor with body color over pencil, signed and dated, 1906, 24″ x 15″ Edward Henry Corbould (1814-1904) was a distinguished painter, successful illustrator, and an accomplished sculptor. While a student at the Royal Academy, he concentrated primarily on watercolors, producing a large number of images depicting scenes and characters from classic and contemporary literature, chiefly Chaucer, Spenser, and Shakespeare. In 1842 his watercolor The Woman Taken in Adultery was purchased by Prince Albert; nine years later Corbould was appointed Instructor of Historical Painting to the Royal Family. For 21 years he continued to teach various members of the Royal Family, and many of his best works were acquired by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Corbould’s contract with the royal family was eventually terminated and Corbould returned to exhibiting at the Royal Academy and the Royal Institute of Painters, supporting himself by illustrating books and magazines. Between 1835 and 1874 Corbould exhibited 17 paintings at the Royal Academy. Una and the Redcrosse Knight is an illustration of a scene from The Faerie Queene, an incomplete English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. The first half of the poem was published in 1590 and a second installment was published in 1596. The Faerie Queene is notable for its form; it was the first work written in Spenserian stanza and is one of the longest poems in the English language. It is an allegorical work written in praise of Queen Elizabeth I. In a completely allegorical context, the poem follows several knights – each knight representing a different virtue. Una is the personification of the “True Church.” She travels with the Redcrosse Knight (who represents England), and together they try to save her parents’ castle from a dragon. The Redcrosse Knight bears the emblem of Saint George, patron saint of England.

St George’s Cross, a red cross on a white background, continues to be the national flag of England. Balthazar Beschey (Flemish, 1708 – 1776) The Assumption of the Virgin, Balthazar Beschey (Flemish, 1708 – 1776), signed, oil on panel, 30″ x 20″ Balthazar Beschey (or Besschey) was a professor and Director of the Academy of Arts in Antwerp, Dean of the Painter’s Guild of Saint Luke, and helped establish the Rubens Studio in Antwerp. Beschey was born at Antwerp in 1708 and studied under Pieter Strick, an unknown painter who imitated the styles of accomplished Antwerp painters. In 1753 Beschey was admitted to the Painter’s Guild of St Luke in Antwerp and two years later he was elected Dean of the Guild of Saint Luke (1775-1776). In 1755 he was made one of the six directors of the Academy of Arts in Antwerp.

Using his influential position at the Academy, Beschey sought to revive traditional practices through the study of Rubens. Among his pupils were Pierre Joseph Verhagen, Guillaume-Jacques Herreyns, and Andries Cornelis Lens. Beschey held the position of Professor at the Academy of Arts in Antwerp up until his death in 1776. Beschey began his career as a landscape painter, but later switched to history and portrait painting. Near the end of his life he concentrated almost exclusively on religious subject matter. Balthasar also operated an art restoration workshop and art dealership in Antwerp. Thanks to his connections in England through his brother Jan Frans, he was able to export Flemish paintings to England. His works can be found in the Louvre, Hermitage Museum, Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and other important museums and private collections around the world.

Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts: Joseph sold by his brothers (signed and dated 1744) The brothers try to buy corn from Joseph, the Vice-Roy of Egypt (signed and dated 1744) Self-portrait (signed — donated by the artist to the Academy of Antwerp in 1763) Portrait of the painter Martin Joseph Geeraerts Paris, Louvre Museum Portrait of a Family (signed and dated 1721) Saint Petersburg, Hermitage Museum The Five Senses, Allegory of Eyesight and the Sense of Touch, Signed and dated: B. BESCHEIJ, 1733 The Five Senses, Allegory of Hearing, Taste and Smell, Signed and dated: B. BESCHEIJ It has been recorded that Beschey had a son who was a painter, but this is a mistake. He had, however, three younger brothers who followed his profession, under his instruction, and one elder brother, who was a pupil of Goovaert’s. This last mentioned was Carel Beschey, who was born at Antwerp in 1706.

His younger brothers were Jacob Andreas Beschey (born at Antwerp in 1710); Joseph Hendrik Beschey (born at Antwerp in 171); and lastly, Jan François Beschey (born in 1717). Jan established himself as an art dealer in England, and became celebrated for the copies he made of the works of Rubens, Van Dyck, and other great masters. He was elected dean of the Guild of St. Luke in 1767.

REFERENCES: This article incorporates text from the article “BESCHEY, Balthasar” in Bryan’s Dictionary of Painters and Engravers by Michael Bryan, edited by Robert Edmund Graves and Sir Walter Armstrong, an 1886–1889 publication George Edmund Butler (British, 1872-1935) George Edmund Butler (British, 1872-1935), Bedtime Story, oil on canvas, signed lower left, 32″ x 72 1/2″ framed This biography was written by Chris Pugsley and was first published in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography Volume 3, 1996 – updated 5-Jun-2013 George Edmund Butler was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England, on 15 January 1872. In 1883 he emigrated with his parents, Joseph Cawte Butler and his wife, Jane Tiller, to New Zealand where his father established himself as a builder with premises in Cuba Street, Wellington. After completing his education at Te Aro School George worked for his father and studied art part time under James Nairn.

He enrolled at the Wellington School of Design (later the Wellington Technical College) in 1890. In 1892 he joined the avant-garde Wellington Art Club, founded by Nairn, and established a local reputation for his seascapes. In 1897 Butler went to Sydney with the Wellington art dealer McGregor Wright to study pictures in the National Art Gallery of New South Wales. He then decided to further his studies in art, and in 1898 worked his passage back to England in the stokehold of the Gothic. Butler studied at the Lambeth School of Art, and the Académie Julian in Paris, where he gained honours. He moved to the Antwerp academy, winning a gold medal and laurel wreath in 1900. On 29 April 1899 Butler married Sarah Jane Popplestone at Lyndhurst, Hampshire. Butler returned to Wellington in 1900 and exhibited in Wellington and Christchurch art society exhibitions that year. In 1901 he settled in Dunedin and exhibited until 1905. It must have been a difficult time for Butler.

He had a reputation gained from his studies in Europe and his paintings won praise at the Otago Art Society exhibitions, but life as a professional artist without private means gave little financial reward. He supported himself by giving tuition in drawing, and was commissioned to complete a number of portraits of city dignitaries. In 1905, at the age of 33, George Butler returned to England seeking success on a larger stage. He settled in Bristol, taught art at Clifton College, established a reputation as a portrait and landscape artist in watercolours and oils, and was elected to the Royal West of England Academy in 1912. His work was exhibited ‘on the line’ at the Royal Academy of Arts, the Royal Scottish Academy and the Salon of the Société des artistes français. In 1916 ‘Supreme sacrifice’ was exhibited at the Royal Academy and sold for £450. In August 1918 the newly formed New Zealand Expeditionary Force War Museum Committee approached Butler, as an expatriate New Zealand artist of reputation, about executing ‘a picture or pictures’ depicting the work of the NZEF.

Butler agreed and was appointed official war artist with the honorary rank of captain in the NZEF on 16 September 1918. He joined the New Zealand Division in France in late September and remained there until late November, completing some 53 sketches and paintings. He carried a small sketch-book in which he made rough pencil sketches, often under fire, of actual operations and war scenes and based his finished works on these drawings. Butler was part of the New Zealand Division’s successful advance during the last two months of the war, and was fortunate not to be wounded when a delayed-action mine destroyed a barn he was sketching near Bapaume. After the armistice he visited and sketched all the New Zealand battlefields in Belgium and France. The rapid return of the expeditionary force to New Zealand ended the War Museum Committee’s ambitious plans for London exhibitions similar to those mounted for Canadian and Australian war artists, and Butler was demobilised on 31 December 1918. Colonel R. Heaton Rhodes and Major General Sir Andrew Russell, the New Zealand divisional commander, privately commissioned Butler to complete a series of senior officer portraits and a number of large landscapes associated with New Zealand exploits on the western front.

It was Heaton Rhodes’s intention to persuade the New Zealand government to purchase these works; if this was unsuccessful, he and Russell would meet the cost. Finally, in September 1921, the New Zealand cabinet approved payment including the purchase of a further two large works and 26 smaller paintings recommended by the New Zealand high commissioner in the United Kingdom, Sir James Allen. Butler never returned to New Zealand. Following Sarah Butler’s death at Trimley, Suffolk, on 15 March 1928, he married Monica Susan Boyce at London on 29 April 1929. He died at Twickenham on 9 August 1936, survived by his second wife and two children of his first marriage. Butler’s war paintings, held at National Archives, Wellington, capture the realities of war through a civilian’s eyes. They mirror the view of the New Zealand citizen soldier. There is no glory, only the stark depiction of waste and loss. They are an evocative indictment of war that have remained largely unseen by the New Zealand public. Chris Pugsley. ‘Butler, George Edmund’, from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography.

Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 5-Jun-2013 URL: George Edmund Butler attempted for a time to make a living as a professional artist in New Zealand, but in 1905 was forced to go to England to further his career. Despite his contribution as an official war artist of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in 1918, he remained an expatriate.

Question: The painting 'And When Did You Last See Your Father' can be found in Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery. Who painted it?
Answer: WILLIAM FREDERICK YEAMES